Shotaro Hidari
Shotaro Hidari is the left half side of Kamen Rider Double but also a rider of his own self as Kamen Rider Joker. He is a self-dubbed "hardboiled detective", though considered "half-boiled" by others, who dresses in the style of the late 1930s. He works as a detective in the city of Futo. Vowing to stop anyone that makes his city cry, Shotaro took on the job as the protege of his mentor Futo's private investigator Sokichi Narumi. However, in the investigation of a mysterious organization, which led to Shotaro meeting Philip, Sokichi is shot to death leaving Shotaro to continue in his stead. Refusing to let his mentor's memory be in vain Shotaro works to stop the Dopant crime wave by being the man on the street, contacting his various informants and transforming into Kamen Rider Double by providing his body for the combination. Shotaro appears to be the one who came up with the names of Double's finishers, as demonstrated in episode 16 when he decided to call Fang Joker's Maximum Drive Fang Streiser. His surname is literally translated as and his Gaia Memories provide the left side of any Double formation. Personality Shotaro's basic personality is an homage to the fiction character of Phillip Marlow, as is his sense of being a hard-boiled detective. Shotaro is decisive and intuitive making him a remarkable detective even without the help of his partner. At times Shotaro's emotion and dedication to the choices that he makes causes him to come to blows with his partner and others. He cares deeply about his clients, his friends, and his city and will do anything in his power to protect them. Shotaro is a contrast to his partner Phillip, showing great emotion and intuition as apposed to Phillip's cold and logical thinking. Because of his emotional side, he is capable of understanding the emotions and actions of others. While Shotaro usually tries to be the serious one out of his group he is often the one that is made a fool of by his friends. In combat Shotaro shows great fighting skills outside of using Gaia Memories, even in a weakened state of becoming an old man due to the Old Dopant. Gaia Memories The are mysterious USB flash drives imbued with the powers of the Earth itself. Originally created with funding by the Sonozaki Family, these Gaia Memories end up in the possession of Shotaro and Philip, and can only be used through the Double Driver. Two can be inserted into the Double Driver, allowing Shotaro and Philip to transform into Kamen Rider Double. Shotaro's left-half Memories called determine the type of attack or weaponry that Double uses. * : The Joker Memory, also known as the , allows the user to increase fighting potential, becoming the . When used, half of Kamen Rider Double becomes the black . When the Joker Memory is placed in the Maximum Slot on the Double Driver, it allows Double to execute the Joker Extreme Rider Kick. Shotaro can also use the T2 version of the Joker Memory with a Lost Driver to become Kamen Rider Joker. * : The Metal Memory, also known as the or the , empowers the user with great strength, becoming the . When used, half of Kamen Rider Double becomes the silver . * : The Trigger Memory, also known as the , turns the user into an expert marksman, becoming the . When used, half of Kamen Rider Double becomes the blue .